Maxi Moralez is officially back with New York City FC for the 2025 season. Moments ago, the club announced Moralez’s re-signing on a contract through 2025, which will be his ninth with NYCFC.
When New York City announced a spate of end-of-season roster moves, the club confirmed it was still in negotiations with the out-of-contract Moralez over a 2025 return.
Now with preseason training getting started, an official agreement has been reached and Moralez will be back to play for Pascal Jansen, the fifth NYCFC Head Coach he'll have played under.
Se queda en casa 🏠 @Dumbomoving
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) January 13, 2025
The one-year contract for 2025 extends Moralez’s stay following his surprising return to New York City at midseason in 2023, after Maxi had said his goodbyes to NYCFC and rejoined Racing Club in his native Argentina, where he started his professional playing career in 2005.
Maxi's NYCFC comeback was rudely interrupted by a major knee injury suffered on September 2, 2023, in just his fourth appearance back with the club. That ruled him out of the team's final six matches of 2023 and meant he wasn't ready to make his 2024 debut until May 31, a home match vs. San Jose Earthquakes.
Moralez began a 2024 revitalization in a cameo off the bench against San Jose, putting in a turn-back-the-clock performance across his first 25 competitive minutes since the knee injury.
Matthew Mangam
As the 2024 season continued, the veteran Moralez grew into a bigger and bigger part of Nick Cushing's plans. By season's end, he had re-established himself as the team's starter in the central attacking midfield role, forcing the current owner of the NYCFC No 10 jersey, Designated Player Santiago Rodríguez, to shift out to the left wing of the New York City attack.
Moralez ended 2024 with two goals and seven assists across his 26 appearances, including 16 starts.
At age-37 and after reconstructive knee surgery, Moralez still showed an ability to create goals and move his team toward the opposing goal. According to FBref.com, on a per-90-minute basis, Moralez was: in the 97th percentile among MLS attacking midfielders and wingers with 0.50 assists per 90; in the 97th percentile with 9.49 completed progressive passes per 90; in the 96th percentile with 6.29 shot-creating actions per 90; and in the 99th percentile with 7.59 passes completed into the final third per 90.
Andrew Leigh
Moralez proved could still do the job he's done for years, playmaking for NYCFC – it's why he's been credited with 100 career goal contributions with New York City, something achieved by only one other NYCFC player (David Villa) in the club's 10 seasons.
The only questions that linger over Moralez entering the 2025 season are his age and his durability. Moralez will turn 38 in late February and appeared to battle through injury issues late in the season, with the midfielder held out of the Starting XI for the very first MLS Cup Playoff game of NYCFC's 2024 campaign, on the road in the best-of-three Round One series against FC Cincinnati.
NYCFC still needed Moralez to step up with assists and goals late in their season as they tried to make a playoff run toward MLS Cup, but he was held without a goal or assist in his final six appearances of the season.
Now he'll return for a new New York City FC era, with Moralez likely expected to be one of the veterans in the locker room who can help bridge the gap between the squad and its new Head Coach. He's been the best player in NYCFC's history and now gets another season in 2025 to add to that history.
You can read the full release from NYCFC announcing Moralez's return below.
NEW YORK – January 13, 2024 – New York City FC today announced that it has re-signed midfielder Maxi Moralez through 2025.
Moralez made an immediate impact last season after returning from an ACL injury sustained at the end of 2023. Making 26 appearances across all competitions last season, Moralez tallied two goals and seven assists, reaching a personal milestone of 100 career goal contributions. In doing so, he joined David Villa (103) as the only players in club history to achieve the feat. Last season, the midfielder became the first player in franchise history to make more than 200 MLS appearances.
“We are thrilled to have Maxi back with New York City FC for the upcoming season,” said Sporting Director David Lee. “Maxi showed incredible resilience to return from injury and demonstrated his quality with some outstanding performances last year. His leadership and creativity on the field helped us return to the playoffs and rallied those around him. Maxi’s impact extends beyond what everyone sees during matches, he plays a vital role in the locker room and mentoring our young players. As we continue to build, having a player of Maxi’s caliber and experience is pivotal and we’re excited to see his contributions this season.”
Moralez made his 2024 season debut off the bench in the 74th minute against the San Jose Earthquakes at Yankee Stadium last May. During that game, Moralez provided his first assist of the 2024 regular season, also marking his 70th assist for New York City. The 37-year-old scored his first goal of the season in the Hudson River Derby in the fifth minute, contributing to a 5-1 victory. Moralez also assisted on New York City's fifth goal in that game, setting up defender Tayvon Gray for his first career goal. Moralez was named to the MLS Team of the Week twice last season.
“I’m very excited to continue my career with New York City FC for another season,” said Midfielder Maxi Moralez. “This club has become a second home to me. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust and support I’ve received from everyone here, from the coaching staff to my teammates and, of course, our amazing fans. Coming back from injury last season was a challenging but rewarding experience. Being able to contribute to the team’s success again meant so much to me. I’m looking forward to next season and am determined to help the club achieve even more in 2025.”
During the historic 2021 MLS Cup run, Moralez played all four games, contributing a goal and three assists. Moralez assisted New York City FC’s lone goal in the final and converted a crucial penalty during the shootout in Portland, helping New York claim its first title in franchise history. The following season, the Argentine scored a title clinching goal in the 2022 Campeones Cup at Yankee Stadium.
Transaction: New York City FC re-signs Midfielder Maxi Moralez through 2025.
